What is Laughter Yoga?
Let’s start with what Laughter Yoga is not! It has nothing to do with being a stand-up comedian who aces Open Mic nights at the local pub.
In fact, Laughter Yoga doesn’t rely on humour or jokes at all.
And it has nothing to do with bending yourself into a pretzel shape.
Now that we’ve got that sorted, let’s explain what Laughter Yoga is.
Laughter Yoga is a fun and effective exercise program that can be adapted for anyone and everyone’s wellbeing.
We’ve all heard the saying that laughter is good medicine…
Back in 1995, an Indian physician called Dr Madan Kataria brought together the deep cleansing breaths of yoga with playful exercises that simulated laughter. He called it Laughter Yoga. You can read more about Laughter Yoga’s beginnings here. Practised in a group, with good eye contact, Dr Kataria found that laughter soon became natural and real. He also found that when hearty belly laughs were sustained for a period of around 20 minutes (interspersed with the deep breaths), amazing health benefits were enjoyed that have since been scientifically proven.
From a handful of people at the first session in Mumbai, Laughter Yoga is now practised in more than 110 countries worldwide. Australians have been laughing for wellness through Laughter Yoga since 2003: read how Laughter Yoga came Downunder.
In practising Laughter Yoga, you learn to be less stressed and more playful.
You learn to look on the brighter, lighter side of life – even when facing challenges.
Does this sound like something you want in life: more laughter and joy, more happiness? Find out about our training and workshop options. Find out about laughter clubs too.
5 reasons to love Laughter Yoga
- Good Mood and More Laughter. Laughter Yoga helps to change your mood within minutes. You will remain cheerful and in a good mood throughout the day and will find yourself laughing more usual.
- Healthy Exercise to Beat Stress. Laughter Yoga is a gentle aerobic exercise which brings more oxygen to the body and brain, making you feel more energetic and relaxed.
- Health Benefits. Laughter Yoga reduces the stress and strengthens the immune system.You will not fall sick easily and if you have some chronic health conditions, you will heal faster.
- Quality of Life.Laughter is a positive energy which helps people to connect with other people quickly and improves relationships. If you laugh more, you will attract many friends.
- Positive Attitude in Challenging Times. Everyone can laugh when life is good, but how do you laugh when faced with challenges? Laughter Yoga helps create a positive mental state to deal with negative situations and negative people. It gives hope and optimism to cope with difficult times.